Drustai
Drustai was an ancient draenei female. Born long ago on Argus, she witnessed the coming of Sargeras and the split between the man'ari eredar and the draenei. Though the draenei fled across the stars, Drustai remained, having chosen to side with the Burning Legion. She came to regret her choice, after she witnessed first hand the cruelty and malice of the man'ari. She prayed for guidance and, with the assistance of the Naaru, managed to escape the Legion and rejoin her people. She became a priest of the Light, in effort to atone for what she viewed as an unpardonable sin. Evil followed at Drustai's heels, however. The orcs were tricked by agents of the Burning Legion, and Drustai watched in horror as they slaughtered her people. She fell into a depression, and turned to Shadow, beginning a quest for renewal and vengeance. This quest soon turned to necromancy, in pursuit of a means to return and save her people from death. Drustai later fell the Scourge, after she traveled to the frozen lands of Northrend in search of necromantic lore. She was risen as one of the Scourge’s death knights, and, while wielding the runeblade, Avaritus, participated in the annihilation of the Scarlet Crusade. She broke free of the Lich King’s domination during the Battle of Light’s Hope Chapel. After the war against the Lich King, Drustai returned to the Exodar, reuniting with her commune. Though her unholy condition disturbed many of the draenei around her, they welcomed her with open arms as their sister. She still struggled with the darkness in her soul, and the ravaging hunger that threatened to consume her sanity, but, with their support, she finally began to come to terms with everything that had happened to her. Her soul was released from the last shackles binding her to the Lich King when Farseer Sanara destroyed Avaritus. However, in the time since, Drustai has continued to practice her dark arts, in the hopes that she might one day restore herself to life, and, beyond that, to return her people to the glory that they lost so long ago. Biography Early life ... Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds ... The Burning Legion ... The shackles of madness ... Escape from darkness ... Draenor, and the siege of Shattrath ... Reaching for the Light ... Exodar and Azeroth ... Fallen into shadow ... Crusade and the macabre ... The Scourge and the Ebon Blade ... Another chance ... Personality and traits Drustai was considered by many of her peers to be distant and respectful, but also calculating, aggressive, and power-hungry. She had an obsessive lust for power and viewed everything around her as something she could and should control. She had high expectations of others and a low tolerance for failure, and would frequently try to assert authority over situations where she could. She was judgmental and often very critical of others when she was forced to take a backseat and watch them lead, and while she often did, begrudgingly, follow the advice and orders of her betters even when she didn't agree with them, she was always opportunistically looking for ways to bend the rules or strike out on her own behind their backs. In the Burning Legion, and even after, she ambitiously conspired against her peers, looking for ways to undermine them and force them out of the way of her ascent to greater power. The sad truth was that Drustai was a good person, who lost herself in her quest to become all-powerful. She believed that if she could always just be a little more powerful, a little more capable, she could have prevented every mishap that had happened to her and her people. She treated the universe itself as if it was like her gardens--something to nurture and protect--and she believed that she could fix every wrong if only she was strong enough. When she was forced to face the realization that she wasn't, and couldn't be all-powerful, her cold exterior would shatter and reveal the broken woman beneath. After the Orc War, an event that she felt she had no control over, she entered into a depression that would consume her for much of the rest of her life. Her pursuit of necromancy after that event was primarily so that she could gain control over life itself, allowing her to bring her loved ones back and never lose them again. ... Life and death Unlike many draenei, Drustai was terrified in death. As a mage who focused on physical, material concerns over spiritual ones, she didn't believe in a soul or an afterlife, and she held a clinical, logical view of death. She saw it as the cessation of conscious thought and perception, the cessation of existence, and this desperately frightened her. She was devastated by the deaths of her loved ones, and she meted out death upon her enemies as the ultimate punishment. She used her studies in magic to seek some technique or spell that could grant her and her loved ones immortality, and her fear was so pervasive that she even called upon demonic aid in Northrend before her first death, casting aside even her hatred of the Legion in the hope of self-preservation. Despite Drustai's fear, she was able to stand in the face of death and hold her ground. She was incredibly courageous, and would step in the line of fire to protect someone she cared for, such as when she stepped in front of Merandil's pistol when he aimed it at Xorunas. Drustai was quick to rush to the defense of her commune and people, and even came to the defense of the Alliance when necessary despite her dislike of the majority of its races. She even helped fight back elementals in Stormwind during the elemental invasions, despite her own desire to flee to Draenor from the impending cataclsym. Though many, like Sanara, called her a coward for her desires for self-preservation, when push came to shove Drustai often chose to overcome her fear and stay and fight to protect others. Morals and ethics Drustai was a cold woman, known for her xenophobia, unrelenting hatred of the enemy, and a ruthless mentality that put her at odds with many other draenei. Many individuals believed that she would readily sacrifice anyone for her own interests, though in reality she was deeply affected by the deaths of those close to her. Drustai did not share her concern for the Horde, however. She found it difficult to put the Orc War behind her, and wanted to hurt the Horde as much as it had hurt her. Though she did not go out of her way to specifically attack innocents, she had no reservations against assaulting "soft" targets--like non-combatant peons at the Ashenvale lumber camp--if it was strategically advantageous. She did, however, harbor feelings towards genocide of the orcish people for a few years after the Orc War, but this belief gradually faded as she emotionally recovered from the tragedy. Instead, she came to see the Horde as a blight that had to be defeated and its people reduced to a negligible status where they could hurt no one ever again. Additionally, Drustai did not share the same beliefs in the natural order or ethics of the universe that other draenei did. She was a lifelong arcanist devoted to studious logic and reason over spiritual concerns, and so, to her, there was no moral dilemma involved in the use of necromancy at all. She saw it as a perfectly rational study, as viable as any other school of magic. The idea that others could hold moral reservations against it was something that honestly baffled her, and she couldn't understand why she had to constantly justify herself against others' accusations. This belief did not pertain to other "black arts". Drustai was completely abhorrent of fel magic after her time in the Burning Legion, though the logician in her couldn't help but call upon it in desperate times when she felt she had no other option. Unlike with necromancy, however, she did feel guilty about such uses and struggled to avoid them whenever possible. Sexuality and romance Having been brought up in the hedonistic society of the eredar, Drustai was promiscuous and sexually aggressive throughout her life. This continued into the Burning Legion, where she allowed her hedonistic desires to flourish, using it both for her own pleasure as well as to get close to other eredar and exploit them for her own advancement. She was used in turn, however, and she was betrayed on the few times she had begun to feel something more than just lust. After her escape from the Legion, she continued to drift between partners, but she kept relationships on the surface, afraid of allowing others to get too close where they could hurt her. By embracing only physical relationships, she allowed herself to get just enough closeness for her to stave off her pervasive loneliness before pulling back and locking herself away again. Sometimes she did allow herself to open up when she couldn't bear the loneliness any longer, however the relationship frequently became abusive. Drustai would concentrate more on her research and work, leaving little time for her partner, and would occasionally even use physical violence against them during arguments. As a result, she had a low opinion of relationships, and believed them to be more trouble than they were worth. She considered one-night stands and partners who were only interested in sex to be much easier. That belief held up right until her death, and she died alone. After she was raised as an undead death knight, she became all but incapable of feeling true love, drive, or physical pleasure, and she lost all desire for intimate encounters. Unlike some other draenei, Drustai pursued only heterosexual encounters. This was to the consternation of individuals like Larem, who's advances were consistently rejected to the point of destroying what had been a close friendship. Undeath ... Powers and abilities Drustai was an exceptionally powerful arcanist. With over 25,000 years to perfect her magic, she had experience with every school and discipline, including fel. Though not innately talented, she made up for it with dedication and strength of will, devoting herself completely to her studies. Apothecary: Drustai was a skilled herbalist and apothecary, growing herbs in her garden which she would then use in the creation of potions, salves, and other alchemical mixtures. She was confident enough in her abilities that she was able to combine her skills with her magic, and created not only potions, but also magical inks and other compounds. She brewed special liferoot tea to help Exaythe overcome fatigue, and even knew the formula for the creation of a phylactery and the poisonous Potion of Transformation. Arcane Focus: Drustai had a particular talent for manipulating arcane energies. She enjoyed the rush from using it in its pure form, as she, like most spellcasters, was addicted to it. Arcane was her original specialty during her time on Argus and Draenor, only being supplanted by fel while she was in the Burning Legion and frost and shadow when she became a necromancer. Conjuration Mastery: Drustai was known for being a master conjurer. While in the Burning Legion, she relied on summoning lesser demons to protect her from danger, rather than risking herself in the fighting. After leaving the Legion, she continued to conjure beings to aid her, and mastered the summoning and binding of elementals, gargoyles, shadows and shadowfiends, and the creation of undead servants without the need for a nearby body. Dead Sight: As a former Auchenai Death Priest, Drustai was able to see the restless spirits that continued to walk the world. With the proper preparation and an intact soul mirror, she was able to speak with them as well. She learned to ignore their presence, though was incapable of blocking them from her sight. Fel Magic: Drustai learned to channel fel magic after she joined the Burning Legion, seduced by Sargeras' offers of godhood. She became incredibly skilled in its use over the millennia as its dark influences corrupted her soul, but she gave up most of her power after she left the Legion. She continued to possess knowledge of its use, and could call upon it if she desired, but she swore to never use it again. Frost Magic: Drustai began to focus in frost magic after she started studying necromancy, though it did not become prominent until after she arrived on Azeroth. Her own research into the Scourge’s necromancy, which utilized frost to an almost equal amount as shadow, encouraged her to pursue it. Her frost spells were used to great effect during the elemental invasions when she managed to decipher an elemental ritual and save the night elf priestess, Neferi, who was bound to a Twilight's Hammer altar. Illusion Expert: Drustai was a skilled practitioner of illusion magic, noted for keeping up a near-constant appearance-altering spell to make her look and feel alive after she died. Even before then, she frequently made use of illusions to hide blemishes and scars, and she later created an enchanted crystal eye for Laraan to conceal the large wound across the right side of her face. Linguistic: Drustai was well-versed in many languages. These included Eredun, Draenei, Demonic, Common, Ravenspeech, and Thalassian. She also learned the basics of the Titan language while researching Titan ruins around Azeroth, and studied the language of the dead while she was with the Auchenai, later mastering it after she became undead. Loremaster: In her endless pursuit for greater knowledge, Drustai accumulated a wealth of information about the people and worlds on which she had traveled. She had first-hand knowledge of the Twisting Nether, the Burning Legion, and undeath, and was able to provide esoteric details on various other subjects. She possessed a wide variety of research books, including copies of illegal Scourge necromancy tomes, which, after the end of the war in Northrend, became priceless. Drustai was one of only a handful who still possessed such books, as the rest were likely confiscated and destroyed by the Argent Crusade. Magical Mastery: Drustai was a very powerful arcanist. Though she was not innately talented, she surpassed other students through dedication, never ceasing her quest for greater power, and was even willing to cast aside the moral objections of her peers in order to expand her knowledge into darker arts. By the time the draenei arrived on Azeroth, Drustai had become well-known for her spellwork. She was the senior spellcaster in the Ere Argus commune, rivaled only by Sanara, who, though talented and well-trained, had long ago given up the practice of arcane magic. Drustai occasionally helped instruct younger magi in developing their abilities, and trained several apprentices while on Draenor. During the elemental invasion just before the Shattering, she was notable enough to be summoned to the Dalaran Summit of the Leading Magi of Azeroth, and demonstrated her skill when she cast a ritual that slowly drained the entire canal system of Stormwind in order to limit flooding. Necromancy Specialist: Though Drustai never fell to the same madness that gripped the majority of the Auchenai Death Priests, she followed closely at their heel. Even before the Scourge raised her as a death knight under their command, she had begun to practice the dark art of necromancy. She believed that the study of necromancy was merely the study of the forces that governed life and death, and that the evil done by some users was a result of their own actions, not some malignant corruption arising from the school itself. She saw shadow energy as the natural force behind decay and aging, and believed that only the unnatural energies were those governing undeath, which she claimed was only a minor subset of the school. Ultimately, Drustai believed in her heart that the universe would be a better place if death no longer existed, and her studies in necromancy and shadow energy were put to this goal rather than "traditional" necromancy of raising mindless armies of dead soldiers for the purpose of world domination. The only raising she wished to do was "true resurrection", to completely and indiscriminately return the dead to an eternal life, no matter how far gone they were. Drustai’s skills in necromancy did much to aid her after her death at the hands of the Scourge, and she had a much greater understanding of the nature of her condition than most other death knights. Though many needed to ruthlessly slay the living in order to restore their strength, she used her knowledge to manually drain that energy from the surrounding environment. While this kept her stable, it did not generate the same twisted pleasure that she felt when killing others, nor was she able to cure the emotional and physical limitations of undeath, so she continued to pursue means to restore her body to life. She also explored the possibility of creating a phylactery for herself after Sanara destroyed her runeblade, due to her fears of her soul decaying without a stable anchor, but this option was firmly opposed by the other members of Ere Argus. Priestess: For much of her time on Draenor, Drustai was an anchoress of the Light. Under both the Aldor and the Auchenai, she learned how to channel the Light's divine energy, using it to tend to wounds and aid others. She lost her powers after she fell from her faith, though briefly replaced them with the powers of Divine Shadow until she gave that up as well. She became completely cut off from the Light after she was raised as an undead. Runecaster: Like many draenei arcanists, Drustai was proficient in the use of runes in order to cast arcane magic without the inherent corruption that was involved with normal methods of spellcasting. She possessed tomes containing detailed diagrams of various ley-lines, and often tattooed her body with some of the more useful patterns. Over the years, many of these went dormant, as only the runes pertaining to the present world were of any use, though the marks from Azeroth and Draenor remained useful whenever she was on one of those two worlds. Shadowmage: Being a Shadowpriest and necromancer, Drustai was skilled in the use of negative, or shadow, energy. She was introduced to the use of shadow by Kiryakk and the Auchenai, and briefly worshiped Divine Shadow after the Orc War before giving it up. Even after she turned away from the worship of Shadow, she continued to utilize shadow magic in her necromancy, despite objections by the other members of her commune. Strength of Arms: Though Drustai was no warrior, she had a good understanding of the wielding of most weapons and armor. She knew the proper forms, stances, and motions, and could hold her own in a fight, though she lacked practice and preferred to use her spells. Transmutation Expert: Drustai was a skilled transmuter on Argus, and she was known to have used transmutation spells in conjunction with the school of illusion to alter her appearance and make herself more beautiful. She was also able to utilize powerful teleportation spells. When she escaped from the Burning Legion, she burned all of her fel power in the creation of a single dimensional gateway that thrust her far across the Twisting Nether. However, this taxed her greatly, and she remained bedridden for several weeks after. Undead: As an undead creature, Drustai had all of the strengths--and drawbacks--of her unholy state. She was exceptionally strong and resilient for her frame, and could run and fight for days at a time without tiring. She did not eat or sleep, had exceptional hearing and eyesight, and did not feel significant physical pain. She could also take on an unholy, berserker-like fervor in combat. However, she lacked the ability to feel most emotion and physical sensations, and the lack of sleep was mentally draining on her. She could become too predictable and aggressive in combat, frequently abandoning her spells for the raw carnage of melee if she did not maintain strict discipline over her urges. She was also very weak against fire--which easily burned her dry, decayed flesh--and spells of the Holy Light. Merely being in the presence of a powerful beacon of the Light, such as a Naaru or the Cathedral in Stormwind, was very discomforting for her, and she was all but defenseless against holy spells. Appearance Throughout her life, Drustai always took great care of her appearance, and she was considered beautiful by many. She was vain, spending every morning dressing herself in elegant clothes, makeup, and sweet, rosy perfume, and used magic to artificially enhance her beauty. She had deep lavender skin, which was marred only by glowing arcane marks running up and down the outer edge of her arms and thighs. She had straight, silky black hair, reaching just past her shoulders, which she kept neatly styled in order to give it volume. She was lean and fit, and her tall height was accentuated by her raised horns and long tail. She was also shapely, with wide hips and a large bosom (though both had been enhanced through her magic). She regularly kept a proud posture around others, and a practiced, elegant gait that emphasized the swaying of her hips. Like many draenei, her large, expressive eyes glowed icy-blue, though she had a depressive, wistful gaze. She spoke in a thick Eredun accent. One of the greatest shocks to Drustai after her death was its effect on her appearance. After she died, her body began to rot and decay, growing thin and pale as her cold, dried-out skin clutched tightly at her bones. Her hair turned stark white, and became wispy and stale. In an effort to hide what she had become, she began using her magic to project an illusion of the beauty she once possessed, burning away countless reagents in order to uphold the spell day after day. This illusion made her look and feel like she once had, but there was a lingering sense of wrongness in her touch--her skin felt almost waxy, too perfect. She did not initially fix her hair color, but began dying it black again a few years after her death. Despite her efforts, there was no mistaking what she had become. Her chest did not rise or fall with breath, there was no pulse at her neck, and a cold, unholy aura seemed to pervade the air around her. Drustai preferred wearing a variety of flowing robes and other elegant attire, occasionally suggestive and usually adorned with arcane or necromantic symbols like runes and skulls. She usually wore earrings and necklaces, but rarely any other jewelry. She regularly kept her facial tendrils and tail unadorned, unlike many other draenei. When wearing a belt, she frequently carried pouches filled with magical reagents of various kinds, as well as a spell tome, scroll case, and a small notebook. Relationships ... Behind the scenes ... Category:Characters Category:Draenei Category:Mages Category:Death Knights Category:Females Category:Alliance Characters Category:Shadow Priests Category:Necromancers Category:Alchemists Category:Herbalists Category:Enchanters Category:Scribes Category:Inscribers Category:Warlocks Category:Archmagi Category:Scourge Category:Burning Legion Category:Alliance Category:Priests